More Options?

Glackin said he expects more and more consolidation in the TSB space. However, he also said he believes more players will enter the space, giving vendors options.

Consider, for example, Upstack, which has signed multiple direct agreements with suppliers.

“They weren’t around just a couple of years ago, and I think they’re going to continue to grow, and they’re going to be a dominant player in this industry,” Glackin said.

Social media conversation has also swirled around the legacy IT distributors. Will they seek to capitalize on the growing agent channel?

“Every one of those traditional hardware distributors has been watching this from the sidelines, and they’re seeing their hardware revenues and their traditional revenues fall, and the ‘non-traditional’ as-a-service revenues are growing,” Glackin told Channel Futures. “I think they’re ready to jump in full force. So I don’t see fewer TSBs; I see more TSBs coming.”